I should preface this review by sharing that my first experience with René Herse tires (formerly branded as Compass Cycles) wasn't a good one. I was attending a bike launch where most of the bikes received some fresh René Herse rubber the night before the journalists' arrival. And while the tires' grippiness and rolling speed initially impressed, seating issues and the vast number of punctures quickly soured the experience.
It's hard to tell whether the extra light casing or a rushed setup was the culprit, but internet forum chatter and word-of-mouth reviews would have one believe that my experience wasn't all that rare. Yet the same time, René Herse tires have an almost cult-like following with randonneurs and adventure cyclists everywhere — they're even the tire of choice of gravel cyclist Ted King and the queen of ultra-distance riding, Lael Wilcox. So I was keen to give these tires another go. And I am glad I did.
